Various forms of rotary and stationary file card systems have been proposed for retaining, selectively displaying, and retrieving printed information, such as names of individuals or companies, addresses, telephone numbers and the like printed in ink on cards or paperboard. Such card file systems are generally provided with specially-shaped cards which may be readily inserted or removed from the system. Such known systems do not provide adequate clearance for or any means for retaining or reviewing discs or other physical objects such as CD-ROM and other computer discs, or anything other than information printed on cards.
At the same time, known systems for storing CD, CD-ROM, DVD, and computer discs do not permit convenient access to large numbers of discs or provide any means to protectively house the discs in a manner which fully displays the discs yet permit easy organization or sorting of the discs and easy removal for use. Moreover, known systems for storing CD-ROM, DVD, and computer discs are ungainly, and incorporate relatively bulky storage means which require inordinate amounts of space for storing discs. For example, a standard hinged plastic box of the type commonly used for the storage of a single CD music disc occupies a volume of approximately 173.4 cubic centimeters, while the disc itself occupies a volume of only approximately 11.3 cubic centimeters. In other words, the box occupies more than 15 times the space occupied by the disc itself In the case of multiple commonly-boxed CD sets, the disparity may be even worse. Using the devices and systems disclosed herein, however, the ratio of storage space to disc space may easily approach unity--with no loss of security or protection for the discs.
Conventional plastic CD, CD-ROM, and DVD storage containers are also difficult to stack, store, and move easily in significant numbers. For example, on an open table one cannot stack the discs upright, in the manner of books on a shelf, without some sort of stop or support at either end to keep the discs from falling. At the same time, flat-stacking of the discs is both difficult, due to the relative slipperyness of the disc cases, and bad for organization: removal of a disc even halfway down a stack all too often results in tipping of the stack, or in the slippage of individual discs/cases from the stack. Moving large numbers of conventionally cased CD discs can also be frustrating and difficult for the same reasons.
On the other hand, another difficulty with known card filing systems is that in order to avoid the need to transfer information from a business card to a specialized index card, it has been proposed to provide attachments for the business cards so the card and attachment can be inserted into a file card index. One form of such attachment comprises a relatively flat member having two openings in one side thereof for mounting in a rotary card file index or rolodex. The flat member has an adhesive thereon covered by a protective strip which is removed to permit a business card to be adhered to the flat member and thus inserted into a file. Such attachments are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,643,452 and 4,713,901. However, these attaching strips have the disadvantage that the making of such attaching strips requires the application of an adhesive and the application of a protective peel-off covering. Further, the use of an adhesive is not generally satisfactory since problems may be encountered in removing an adhered business card from the attaching strip. If such a business card is removed, it may be marked or defaced by the presence of the adhesive. Further, the necessity for removing the protective strips and then adhering the business cards to the adhesive may deter the prompt and accurate filing of business cards in a desired card index file. In addition, the strips themselves, once the adhesive has been exposed and applied to a card, are generally difficult or impossible to reuse effectively. Moreover, the use of adhesive means on CD-ROM discs would be impractical, since the discs must be clean and without substances adhering upon the surface thereof to properly function in the disc reader and since the quality of the adhesive would invariably decline with each application and removal cycle, such that the adhesive strip mounts would have a limited useful life.